Madame de Saint-Baslemont

The couple had at least two children: Alberte remained at Neuville-en-Verdunois when her husband was away serving the Duke of Lorraine, but needed to defend her property against French, Swedish and Croatian soldiers who were roaming the countryside.

She dressed in men's clothing, assuming the persona of the "chevalier de Saint-Baslemont" (supposedly her brother-in-law),[3] and is said to have participated in hand-to-hand combat, adopting military tactics she had learned from her husband.

At around the same time, Anne of Austria became regent of France, and forbade the practice of women dressing in men's clothing, and Madame de Saint-Baslemont was obliged to discontinue her military activities.

The war having ended, Henri de La Ferté-Senneterre, who became governor of Lorraine in the 1650s, took possession of her home, forcing her to enter a convent, where she died aged 53.

[6] An equestrian portrait of Madame de Saint-Baslemont, by her contemporary Claude Deruet, is held at the regional museum in the Palace of the Dukes of Lorraine at Nancy, France.